The Mountain of Kept Memory

July 4, 2016
Neumeier makes extensive use of hoary, predictable elements of epic quest fantasy: a kingdom (Carastind) threatened by ruthless invaders (Tamaristans), a spunky young princess (Oressa) rebelling against her father’s plan to marry her to an enemy prince (Gajdosik), powerful remnants of bygone technology, and sacrificial coming-of-age rituals for both the princess and her older brother. Neumeier manages to leaven the familiar plot with a sincere attempt to produce distinctive speech patterns for her various characters, who carry the narrative forth with determination despite an occasionally jarring contemporary tone. The romantic subplot also convincingly illustrates a distinctly 21st-century feminist worldview. Neumeier fleshes out her world with fulsome details of geography and climate, but her lengthy philosophical passages seem vague and convoluted. Since she also gives Tamaristan prince Gajdosik three ambitious and expansionist brothers to overcome, this excursion into a mountain of crystallized memories will likely be the opening volume of a series.

November 15, 2016

The throne of Carastind has been in the Madalin family for years, and their power is reinforced by the favor of the Kieba, believed to be the last of the old gods. Yet, it seems Carastind has lost the Kieba's good will as forces from Tamarist invade. Gulien, heir to the throne, goes to the Kieba's mountain for help and makes a bargain with the goddess to depose his father and put his sister Oressa on the throne. His plans are complicated when the Tamaristan prince Gajdosik also travels to the Kieba's home, looking for leverage in his own struggles against his brothers. VERDICT Neumeier is better known for her YA novels (Black Dog), and our heroine Oressa often talks and acts more like a young teen than the 20-year-old she is purported to be. The easy way Oressa turns on her father reads as callous, and her thoughtless impulsiveness may frustrate readers.--MM

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